From: "Strong, Lee" <StrongL at MTMC.ARMY.MIL>
To: "WSFAList (E-mail)" <WSFAList at keithlynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] The Matrix Reconsidered
Date: Tue, 20 May 2003 08:49:43 -0400
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

	The literate Mr. Walsh  quotes Lucretius "What is food to one man
may be fierce poison to others."  Actually, I do not find either of the
opinions of Mr. Shirley or Mr. Benford to be fierce poison.  Indeed, they
may well be more insightful than my own initial reactions to the Matrix
episodes.  Certainly, they pointed out some important resonances that I
missed.  And where they agreed with my own humble thoughts, they expressed
those thoughts more eloquently than I.
	My problems with the Matrix saga are at least twofold.  First, I
don't think that the production team upheld their side of the classical
science fiction bargain by making their story plausible on its own merits.
Both the initial premise and subsequent logic of the Matrix world don't hold
water, and that destroys my initial willingness to suspend disbelief.  What
remains is the intellectual equivalent of cotton candy:  tasty enough in its
way but certainly not good nutrition.  Second, the whole notion of the
Matrix reality-behind-reality strikes me as dangerously close to
rationalizing paranoia.  I see the movies as interesting fiction, but I
wonder if everyone in the audience has the same understanding.
	That said, the first 2 episodes of the Matrix story were a wonderful
Japanese anime style over the top super-martial arts thrill ride with some
cyberpunk babble thrown in, and I will probably watch episode 3.